A little over a week to go! Looking to improve from Q44 to Q49+

Question

Hi everyone,
I'm looking for some GMAT prep advice.

I'm retaking the GMAT next week (third attempt), and my goal is to hit Q49 and V40. I'm currently an MBA student and I'm looking to do a PhD next. I'm eligible for admission to certain programs based on my current score but I'd like to increase my range of options. There are a few programs that I'm interested in that explicitly state that they're looking for people with 75th percentile and above in quant, strong quant abilities, balanced Q/V scores or other such things.

For the last two weeks, I've been studying for about 12 hours per day using GMAT Club's questions.
First, I went through every single 500-level question (randomly - 50 questions at a time), and kept an error log. I scored ~80% in the 500-level questions. I went through the questions I got wrong before moving on to the 600-level questions, recording any lessons or principles I learned along the way.

Next, I went through every single 600-level question (also randomly), keeping an error log (I got stumped a lot at the 600 level, often having to ponder for 20 minutes or so before coming up with an idea of how to solve a problem). I don't remember exactly how many I got right on average, but it was probably around 60-70% - maybe. I went through all the 600-level questions I got wrong, and took more notes. Then, I re-took all the 600-level questions once more, this time going through them in grouped by topic, while trying to internalize the concepts and principles involved.

After getting pretty comfortable with the concepts in the 600-level questions, I moved on to the 700-level questions. I've gone through geometry so far, and I'm about to tackle number properties, algebra, exponents, and other topics that I feel will either come up during the test or be useful in general to solve problems.

I thought I was making good progress, but last night I took one of the free official practice exams and after all my hard work I scored a 42 in the quant section! 2 points less than I scored on my last GMAT attempt.

Now, with 9 days to go before the exam, I'm considering pushing the test date back (I have 48 hours before my window to reschedule for $50 closes). I'm not sure if I should reschedule or not, because I don't want to unlearn the things I've been working so hard to learn (please tell me if this is a stupid thought). I think the practice exam may have just been a fluke though, because I took it on a whim late at night, and made a lot of careless, sloppy errors.

Please let me know what your thoughts are on my prep strategy and what you would do if you were me from here on out.
Thanks

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi taylor123456,

Based on what you have described, there is no evidence that you are currently performing at the level necessary to hit your Score Goal. There's no harm in taking the GMAT as scheduled, but you will almost certainly have to take it again later (and pay another $250), so the immediate decision is really about whether you want to save $200 or not (by paying $50 now to push back this Test Date).

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

1) How long have you studied for this current attempt?
2) How long ago did you take the Official GMAT and how did you Score (including Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
3) When will you be applying for these PhD Programs?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

taylor123456 · Answer

Hi Rich, 
Thanks for the reply.

I just took another gmatprep mock test tonight (mock test 3) and scored Q48 V40 710...

1. I've been studying for 2 weeks for this current attempt. I'm a student, so I have lots of 'free time'. I'd say I've probably put in between 100-120 hours studying in those two weeks.

2. In January I scored Q44/V36 - 650 (75th percentile overall), with 8 in IR.

3. I'm planning to apply for September 2019, so I'm assuming it would be around January.

As for my verbal score, 40 is my target (because that's what I hit in my gmatprep mock exam a couple of days ago and again today- so I decided that I'd be happy with it). I've been working on verbal here and there but anything over 36 would be fine. Quant is my main concern.

My main issue in Quant is that it takes me too long to solve complex problems. When I scored the Q42 (albeit at 5 am half asleep) in my first practice test, I spent about 9 minutes on one problem (then had to guess anyway) and had to rush through the rest of the problems, guessing and half solving everywhere. I learned from my mistake and on my second practice test, I just guessed when it seemed as though I'd be unlikely to solve the problem within a few minutes. That really helped me to get up to Q48. But now I want to be able to solve those problems.

I pushed my exam date back to June 5th. I have a month to learn enough math to be able to rip through the tougher problems. 
I plan on doing 700 level questions and taking notes about each one I don't understand. Admittedly, there are some problems in the 700 section that even after reading the explanation, are just out of my reach intellectually. But if I only throw one or two questions away on the exam I'll be able to hit 49 I think.
Please let me know if you have any advice or strategies for the next month to ensure a 49+

Thanks.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi taylor123456,

To start, pushing back your Test Date is a smart move; the extra study time will likely be quite beneficial. The process of taking (and reviewing) a CAT requires a significant amount of energy and effort - and takes time to 'recover' from. This is one of the reasons why you typically shouldn't take more than 1 CAT per week - and your last CAT should be taken about 1 week before Test Day. As you continue to study, you should NOT be taking CATs on back-to-back days.

There's a significant difference between consistently performing at a Q42 level and consistently performing at a Q48 level - so it's not clear which (if either) of these scores is truly representative of your current ability level. Since you've studied for the GMAT before, if you've taken these CATs before (and/or seen any of the questions before), then your results could be 'inflated.' For a realistic score result, you have to take your CATs in a realistic fashion (meaning that you have to take a NEW CAT and take it in full - with the Essay and IR sections, take it away from your home, at the same time of day as when you'll take the Official GMAT, etc.).

At higher-and-higher score levels, the GMAT becomes really 'sensitive' to little mistakes (especially on 'gettable' questions), so your focus shouldn't be on "700 level" question so much as it should be on the precision in your work. Eliminating the little mistakes from your work (by taking organized, thorough notes and doing all of your work on the PAD - and NOT "in your head") will do far more to help you score at a high level than working on lots of higher-level questions.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

taylor123456 · Answer

Thanks for the tip about the notepad. I've started thinking about my notepad strategy. I think that it is very important in DS to use the notepad well, otherwise I'm prone to confusion about which information came from where. The notepad is important in PS too, if only just to identify where a mistake may have been made if I look up after doing some calculations and don't find my answer among(st)? the answer choices.

Thanks for your advice about postponing, I think it was the right call.

Thanks for your advice about postponing, I think it was the right call.

taylor123456 · Answer

I took another gmat prep test and scored 720 Q49 V40, so I decided to 'strike while the iron is hot', so to speak, and re-rescheduled my exam for today. I scored a disappointing 680 (Q46 V37). I did well enough to get some 'monster' questions, but they were so weird and convoluted. One of them took me almost 2 minutes just to read. I'm pretty sure I got into the deeper sections of quant but couldn't execute on the toughest questions.

Do you think I should retake? I think I might be able to squeak out another 20-30 points, but it would be my 4th GMAT. Do you think it's worth retaking? Do admissions people view 4 attempts negatively, even if there are consistent score increases?
Thanks

Do you think I should retake? I think I might be able to squeak out another 20-30 points, but it would be my 4th GMAT. Do you think it's worth retaking? Do admissions people view 4 attempts negatively, even if there are consistent score increases?
Thanks

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi taylor123456,

First off, a 680/Q46 is a strong score (it's right around the 85th percentile overall), so it could be enough to get you into your first-choice School. As such, a retest might not be necessary. The situation that you'll face when applying for PhD Programs is likely to be different from what you would face if you were applying for MBA Programs, so you would likely find it beneficial to speak with an Admissions Expert about your overall profile plans. There's a Forum full of those Experts here:

https://gmatclub.com/forum/ask-admission ... tants-124/

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

taylor123456 · Answer

Thanks for the advice Rich. My score is okay,on my official GMATs I went from Q38 630 to Q44 650 to Q 46 680, so maybe I should be happy and just apply to the schools within my current range. But the rest of my application is strong for a PhD in marketing (87% in an independent marketing research course in my MBA, Inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma (MBA), Elected VP of communications for the GSA at my school, work experience in personal selling) and my GMAT score was by far my weakest link.

If the official mock exams are any indication, I can get a 720, which would put be me in range of some top tier schools.

I guess I was just overconfident based on my mocks and wanted to get in there and get it done. I should have listened to you and spent more time refining my quant skills.
Cheers and thanks for your help.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi taylor123456,

You could certainly choose to continue studying - and I suspect that most Admissions Experts would suggest that you retest if you think that you can score higher (that's something of a 'blanket statement' that often comes from Admissions Consultants, but unless you're told that you MUST retest then there's a reasonable chance that you're fine to apply with this Score). If you want to continue working on your Quant skills, then we can discuss how best to proceed.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

taylor123456 · Answer

Hi Rich,

Okay,
I will be very busy starting September, so I have until the end of August.

I have access to GMAT club tests (I went through every problem in the 500 section and every problem in the 600 section twice, but didn’t do much in the 700 section) and I have two books, How To Solve It and Manhattan Prep’s Advanced Quant. I haven’t gone through those two books in depth, just sort of skimmed trough them.

I would be open to working on my verbal as well. I went through Manhattan Prep’s SC book thoroughly, and found it helpful. In the Verbal section, I’m usually pretty balanced, I get a couple wrong from each type of question (RC, SC, CR).

Let me know what you think I should do.
Thanks

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi taylor123456,

It's important to remember that the Quant section of the GMAT is NOT a 'math test' - it's a 'critical thinking test' that requires lots of little calculations as you work through it. Based on your prior Official Scores, I think it's safe to say that you improved your "math skills", but those scores are all in the range of what typical "math thinkers" earn on Test Day (with the Q46 at the upper end of that range). To score at a much higher level in this section, you need to become more of a 'strategist' and less of a 'mathematician.' You've named a number of different study materials, but it's not clear what YOU are going to do differently when you continue to study. Answering Quant questions in the same ways as before will almost certainly lead to a similar score result - so you have to think more in terms of how you will improve your Tactics. We also need to examine how you were taking your CATs:

When you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as when you took your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? 
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE (re: on a prior CAT, in an online forum or in a practice set)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

taylor123456 · Answer

Hi Rich

1) I took the last two official Gmats in this order:

1. Quant 2. Verbal 3. IR 4. AW and took my last 2 practice CATS in that order as well. I skipped the IR and Analytical Writing sections on the CATS and did fine on them on the GMAT

2) I took the CATS at the library

3) I didn't take them at the same time of day, I took them at random times.

4)I didn't take any breaks or pauses, I treated the CATS like the official test. I skipped IR and AW but those came at the end of the GMAT and the end of the CATS

5) I did not take a CAT more than once, nor did I see the questions before. I purchased extra CATs from GMAC. I completed 1 attempt on each CAT. I have 2 untouched CATS left (CAT 5 and 6).

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi taylor123456,

Test Day is a rather specific 'event' - the details are specific and they matter, so you have to train as best as you can for all of them. The more realistic you can make your CATs, the more likely the score results are to be accurate. The more you deviate, the more "inflated" your practice scores can become - and that's likely what happened here. By skipping sections, taking the CATs at different times of day etc., you weren't properly training for the FULL GMAT 'experience.'

Test Day involves a variety of really specific steps and parameters (including steps before the Test even begins - such as leaving your home, traveling, etc.). Every factor matters, including the psychological ones. When you sit down on Test Day, you KNOW that you're going to be in the Computer Lab for about 3.5 hours - but if you're just taking individual sections (or taking a CAT without the Essay and IR sections), then you KNOW that you'll be done in 1-2 hours. The attitude and energy that you use during practice will NOT be a match for what you'll need on Test Day, so it's not a proper way to practice. At higher-and-higher score levels, points can be won and lost rather easily; to score at that higher level on Test Day, you have to consistently train for that exact event (and not 'skimp' on the little details).

Thankfully, those are relatively easy issues to fix - now that you've taken the Official GMAT, you know the EXACT details of what happens on Test Day, so you can better train to mimic those details during your CATs. Based on everything that you've described - and your immediate focus on scoring higher in the Quant section - I think that you would find the EMPOWERgmat Quant Score Booster to be quite helpful. Most of our clients complete that Study Plan in under a month, but your goal should NOT be to try to 'rush' through any of that material. Your focus needs to be on learning and practicing the proper Tactics so that you'll be ready to use them whenever appropriate on Test Day (and during that time, you will also have access to all of the Verbal Modules as well, so you can do additional Verbal practice if you like). We have a variety of free resources on our site (www.empowergmat.com), so you can 'test out' the Course before setting up an account.

If you have any additional questions, then just let me know.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

taylor123456 · Answer

Thank you for all your help. I appreciate it, and will definitely look into your program.

taylor123456 · Answer

And come to think of it, you might have a really good point about the importance of energy and attitude on test day. I got about 2 hours of sleep the night before the test. Also, my car broke down a couple of days before the test, and I had to take a 2 hour bus ride to the test centre at 8 am. There was a guy who smelled like he literally just took a bath in urine who sat right next to me, and it was hard to do a little pre-test warmup on the bus with that distraction. At the test center, the lady who signed me in kept adjusting the camera and when I finally got tired of watching her fumble with the camera I looked to the side, and she took my picture. Once I got in the test room, right before sitting down I saw my picture on the screen and I looked totally crazy, eyes pointing sideways, and it freaked me out, because I know that schools have access to the photo that is taken on test day. I also drank a big bottle of water on the bus and had to go to the bathroom after about 20 minutes. Pretty much just the worst test experience ever. 
Im gonna brush up on my quant and retest. 
Cheers

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